Pushing a button or …
Pushing a shovel …
Which is harder?
Today I’ve done both.
And, for me, pushing a button proved the more difficult.
Why?
Because fear freezes my heart faster than a Wisconsin winter wind freezes water.
And I was afraid …
… to push the button …
… and send the manuscript back to the publisher.
Again why?
Doubts! Lots of them.
Maybe I should have changed the opening scene. Maybe I should have lengthened the chapters. Maybe I made too many mistakes—poor grammar, bad punctuation, inserting a their where a they’re or a there should have been. Maybe the editor will think I’m lazy or stubborn or arrogant.
Fear froze me into indecision and inaction.
But the answer to a single question melted the fear, and I pushed the send button.
Before I give you the question, I want to share a few others first.
Is my work perfect?
No.
Does my work have mistakes?
Yes.
Will I improve my work if I give it more time and effort?
Maybe.
What will the editor think of my work habits?
I don’t know.
Do I care?
Yes.
The questions are real and endless. None of them resolve my anxiety about publishing. None of them quiet fear’s loud presence.
None except one.
Does my work honor God?
Question: How do you overcome the fears and doubts in your work?
You might enjoy this article by guest blogger Chris Patton about serving God in business: Why Am I A Businessman?
2011’s Top Half-Dozen Posts.
1) 4 Lessons I Learned from “Heaven Is For Real”
2) Shall We Gather at the River?
3) Jet Lag, Fatigue, and Sick Wife
4) When Does Inspiration Come?
5) Tough Times Provide Plenty of Reasons to Be Thankful
6) How Do You Handle Life’s Surprises?
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Baseball, Bikes, Birds and the Bible 
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